Aleksandr Luria: a biography of the pioneer of neuropsychology.

This Russian researcher laid the foundations for the development of cognitive neuroscience.

Luria's name is widely known to all those involved in the world of neuropsychology and neurology. And the fact is that Aleksander Romanovich Luria is considered the main father of modern neuropsychology.He is considered the main father of modern neuropsychology, combining interest in mental processes and the physiology of the brain.

In this article we present a brief biography of this important author and researcher of the human brain.

Brief biography of Aleksander Luria

Aleksander Romanovich Lúriya (known as Aleksandr Luria, Aleksander Luria or Alexander Luria) was born on July 16, 1902 in Kazan, Russia.. Son of the dentist Eugenia Victorovna Hasskin and the physician Roman Albertovich Lúriya, he grew up in a well-to-do family of Jewish origin where he was educated in several languages.

From his youthful years he began to train in the field of knowledge that he himself would help to expand. Let's see how it happened.

Education and first steps

Luria's training began at the age of seven, such training being interrupted by the Russian Revolution. At the age of sixteen he was accepted at the University of Kazan, where he graduated in 1921.

His first interests were circumscribed in the field of social and psychology.being especially interested in the field of psychoanalysis. In fact, in 1922 he contributed to the creation of the Kazan Psychoanalytic Society, his first works dealing with sex differences in clothing. He would also become interested in the evaluation of mental problems and the effects of fatigue. Other authors he would admire and follow closely were Pavlov and Bechterev.

The influence of Vygotsky

Luria met Vigotsky in 1924, at a Congress of Psychoneurology held in Leningrad. held in Leningrad. Together with him, he investigated the interaction between perceptual processes and culture in the generation of higher mental functions in adults, with special emphasis on language.

The interest in brain areas and interest in brain areas and the localization of the different functions began to emerge, criticizing the localizationismThe idea of complex functional systems in which the functions depend on networks of dispersed connections and not only on a specific region was proposed.

World War II and neurology specialization

After Stalin took political control and various political purges began, he was forced to abandon sociocultural study, and would focus on studying medicine with a specialization in neurology.

His interest in the area of language continued and he would often explore this area, especially in the field of aphasia and its relation to thought.

Luria worked at Kisegach during the Second World WarLuria worked at Kisegach during World War II, and frequently observed the effects of tumors and brain lesions. It was at this time that the foundations of neuropsychology were born by linking lesions with cognitive and language problems.

After the war, Luria's work focused on the development of language and thought, especially in children with intellectual disabilities.

Death and legacy

Luria died in Moscow on August 14, 1977, at the age of 75, of a Heart attack.of a heart attack.

Father of modern neuropsychology, Luria's legacy has allowed a better understanding of the functioning of the brain and the cerebral localization of the various systems that enable certain functions.

Numerous evaluation instruments have been created based on criteria based on his work, in addition to the development of techniques that allow the improvement and recovery of the brain.and techniques have been developed to improve and recover functions in cases of brain injury.